The American Automobile Association travel agency, or the AAA travel agency for short, is a travel agency that offers exclusive discounts on travel products to members, along with a full range of travel agency services. Hoteliers can look to become an official hotel partner, gaining prestige and earning exposure to millions of AAA members. Here, we explore the services offered by AAA and the potential benefits to hotels.

Table of Contents:

What is the Hotel Industry?

The AAA travel agency can benefit hoteliers, but before exploring this relationship fully, it is worth explaining precisely what the hotel industry is and how it works. Most definitions agree that the hotel industry is the hospitality section concerned with providing overnight stays and related services to paying customers.

While the name indicates that the industry focuses on hotels, it includes all forms of paid, short-term, overnight guest accommodation. This means that inns, B&Bs, motels, resorts, hostels, and holiday cottages are also part of the hotel industry. However, permanent or long-term accommodation options are not included.

Read “Hotel Industry: Everything You Need to Know About Hotels!” for a complete breakdown of how the industry is defined and the various business types that fall within this definition.

What is the AAA Travel Agency?

The American Automobile Association travel agency, also known as the AAA travel agency, or AAA Travel, is an American travel agency, offering various services related to hotels, the airline industry, and other parts of the tourism sector. Some of these services are exclusively offered to AAA members, but non-member services are also available.

Non-members can book hotel rooms, flights, car rentals, and cruises online. At the same time, paid members can access exclusive discounts, planning assistance from AAA’s team of travel agents, cheap tickets for major attractions, roadside assistance, and various additional benefits that can help save time, effort, and money.

In many cases, booking with the AAA travel agency can be cheaper than booking with major online travel agencies, such as Expedia, Booking.com, or Priceline. For hotels, airlines, and those in the cruise industry, partnering with the AAA travel agency offers exposure to AAA members and non-members alike, potentially increasing bookings.

Video: The Perks of Guided Vacations

AAA Travel Agency Membership for Travelers

Membership of the American Automobile Association travel agency forms part of the wider AAA membership scheme. There are multiple membership plans available, with different benefits. Still, all membership plans include exclusive discounts on hotels, flights, cruises, and car rentals, as well as tickets to attractions, like theme parks.

AAA members are all entitled to roadside assistance, which includes tire replacements, towing, fuel delivery, and dead battery jump-starts. The precise level of roadside assistance will vary, depending on the membership plan level.

Furthermore, AAA travel agency membership provides access to in-person assistance from AAA travel agents. This includes expert travel planning support and the usual online self-service options. Non-members cannot access many of these benefits but can still book hotels, flights, cruises, and car rentals.

AAA Travel Agency: Diamond Ratings

For those in the hotel industry and the restaurant industry, AAA Diamonds are one of the most prestigious rating systems around. With hotels, AAA carries out unscheduled, annual inspections, assessing the quality of the hotel, the condition of the building and its facilities, and the overall cleanliness of the property.

The system is designed to make it easy for travelers to choose high-quality hotels that suit their needs. Inspections are conducted by trained experts, who use set criteria to decide their rating. This helps provide consistency and integrity to the assessments that are not always present with guest reviews.

The Diamond levels help to give travelers information about what to expect. The ‘Approved’ level means the hotel meets the inspection standards and is a great budget option. The ‘Three Diamonds’ level represents comfort, amenities, and style. ‘Four Diamonds’ marks a great upscale hotel, while ‘Five Diamonds’ indicates world-class luxury.

Video: Discover the Diamond Difference – AAA Diamond Program

5 Steps to Become a Hotel Partner of the AAA Travel Agency

In the sections below, you will be able to learn about the different stages a hotel business will need to go through to become an official hotel partner of the AAA travel agency.

Quality Assessment and Application

If you are a hotel owner or in charge of distribution, applying is the first step to becoming an AAA travel agency partner. This should include information on the facilities and services within your hotel. Exploring AAA’s preferences and criteria is a good idea so you can highlight the right features.

AAA Travel Agency Approval Process

During the next stage of the process, the AAA travel agency considers whether or not the application meets the established criteria for selecting AAA hotel partners. This will depend on several factors, including the amount of information provided, the facilities available, and the overall level of service the hotel provides.

AAA Diamond Ratings and Evaluation

Assuming the application meets the basic criteria, the AAA travel agency moves on to the next phase, where the hotel is evaluated for a Diamond rating. The hotel will need to meet set criteria in terms of cleanliness, the level of service provided, the comfort on offer, and the overall commitment to the customer experience.

On-Site Inspection and Approval

In many cases, hotels will be evaluated via an in-person assessment from qualified inspectors from the AAA travel agency. This inspection is designed to verify the hotel’s facilities and evaluate the service level provided to customers. The cleanliness of hotels is also checked, with visual and surface inspections carried out.

Approval, Listing, and Campaigns

Hotels that meet the AAA criteria are approved and added to the list of AAA ‘Preferred Hotels’. This allows the hotel to reach a wider audience and benefit from the prestige of being a recognized partner of the AAA travel agency. Approved hotels also gain exposure through the app, printed materials, special campaigns, and online promotions.

6 Benefits of Being a Hotel Partner with the AAA Travel Agency

The sections below explore six of the most significant benefits of partnering with the AAA travel agency. This allows a hotel owner or business leader to understand why this relationship is advantageous.

1. Increased Bookings

Perhaps the most obvious benefit of a partnership with the AAA travel agency is the potential to generate more bookings. As a brand, the American Automobile Association travel agency carries a lot of prestige, and featuring on the AAA list of ‘Approved Hotels’ can convince many travelers to book a room in your hotel.

The AAA Diamonds rating system is respected worldwide and helps hotels highlight their quality, cleanliness, and support. Some travelers find it easier to trust a respected brand than customer reviews, as customers tend to be less consistent regarding their expectations and standards.

2. Greater Visibility

In addition to boosting the number of bookings a hotel generates, becoming a hotel partner of the AAA travel agency helps increase online and offline visibility. Hotel partners will feature their properties on the AAA website, mobile app, social media channels, and printed content, such as brochures and marketing materials.

This makes it easier for customers to come into contact with your brand and understand your unique selling proposition. Even if they do not make a booking immediately, they will become familiar with your hotel’s name, facilities, offerings, and reputation, and they may recall your brand when they eventually decide to book a hotel.

aaa travel agency point-of-sale
Image attribution: AAA

3. Networking Opportunities

Partnering with the AAA travel agency also presents some unique opportunities to attend events that bring together those in the hotel industry, aviation industry, and food and beverage industry. If you decide to attend these events, connecting with other brands and building mutually beneficial relationships may be possible.

This could take many forms, from active partnerships to interesting cross-promotional opportunities, or knowledge sharing. For instance, a hotel might be able to learn about some of the emerging tourism trends, or the major technology solutions that are currently used in other industries, which could also be useful in the hotel sector.

4. Marketing Opportunities

Regarding marketing, partnering with the AAA travel agency can significantly benefit hoteliers, with exposure across multiple online and offline channels. When members and non-members book hotels through the AAA platform, they will see your hotel as an approved property, which helps to set your hotel apart from rivals.

It is also possible to use the partnership in your promotional materials. For example, many hotels highlight their AAA Diamonds because it is a widely recognized and respected metric for gauging the quality of a hotel.

5. Targeted Audience

Another unique benefit of partnering with the AAA travel agency is the ability to target quite specific audience segments. This can include some fairly obvious market segments, such as corporate travelers or families, but also more niche market segments, which can benefit hotels aimed at specific demographics.

For hotels that are especially confident about their offering, it is also beneficial to have access to an audience interested in using AAA’s platforms and travel agents to find high-quality hotels that meet the established AAA criteria. This can be especially useful if your hotel is trying to attract high-value or luxury customers.

6. Loyalty and Rewards

Rewards programs and loyalty schemes are popular options for those involved with hotel and tourism management, because they provide a reason for customers to keep coming back. The AAA travel agency offers loyalty programs, which provide clear incentives for customers to make repeat bookings with your hotel.

For hotels looking to attract corporate travelers, transient guests, and others who may be likely to return to a hotel property again, rewarding customer loyalty can be a real difference maker.

Alternative to AAA Travel Agency for Selling Packages

Hotel package deals are a great way to sell hotel rooms, but hoteliers may need different tactics and channels to sell them. While the AAA travel agency is a great option, there are alternatives, too. Some of these may even be geared toward specific target markets or specific types of hotels.

In the “Hotel Websites Where Hoteliers Can Sell Packages” article, you can access a list of different platforms to sell packages. These options are broken down based on traveler types and your experiences.

Using Expedia Partner Central to Boost Revenue

One of the best alternatives to the AAA travel agency for the distribution of hotel rooms is the Expedia Partner Central platform. This allows you to list your property on Expedia’s website, app, and other channels while having control over your listing and any package deals you want to offer.

In the “Expedia Partner Central Login Tips For More Revenue” article, you can learn all about Expedia Partner Central and access advice for how to use the platform effectively to boost your financial results.

Booking.com Extranet for Increasing Bookings

Another option when exploring alternatives to the AAA travel agency for the distribution of hotel rooms is Booking.com; best results can be obtained by using the Booking.com Admin Extranet. This provides access to various controls, data points, and tourism technology, allowing you to manage your listings on the platform.

In the “Booking Admin: Increase Bookings with your Booking.com Listing!” article, you can learn how the Booking Admin Extranet works and the key strategies to focus on to attract more bookings.

The American Automobile Association travel agency, or AAA travel agency, is a valuable tourism marketing and distribution channel for hotels and other businesses. Not only can it provide your hotel with increased visibility, it also allows you to benefit from the prestige associated with the AAA brand and its AAA Diamonds rating system.

More Tips to Grow Your Business

Revfine.com is a knowledge platform for the hospitality & travel industry. Professionals use our insights, strategies and actionable tips to get inspired, optimise revenue, innovate processes and improve customer experience. You can find all hotel & hospitality tips in the categories Revenue Management, Marketing & Distribution, Hotel Operations, Staffing & Career, Technology and Software.

Submit an Article

This article is written by:

Martijn Barten

Hi, I am Martijn Barten, founder of Revfine.com. With 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, I specialize in optimizing revenue by combining revenue management with marketing strategies. I have successfully developed, implemented, and managed revenue management and marketing strategies for individual properties and multi-property portfolios.